Method, system and device for monitoring vehicle usage

ABSTRACT

A vehicle tracking device ( 101 ), method and/or system are provided. The device ( 101 ) includes a location interface ( 117 ), for receiving a location signal indicating a current location when operably connected to a GPS antenna; a sensor interface ( 109 ), for receiving sensor signals from sensors in the vehicle indicating a sensed status of the vehicle, when electrically or electronically connected to the sensors; and a processor ( 105 ). The processor ( 105 ) is configured to facilitate receiving, from the location interface, indications of a current location; determining, responsive to the location signal, a determined current location of the vehicle ( 127 ); receiving, from the sensor interface, a sensed status of the vehicle ( 129 ); recording a pre-defined event condition, when the pre-defined event condition occurs ( 131 ) responsive to the sensed status, in a vehicle history; and recording the determined current location in the vehicle history ( 133 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No.60/764,321, filed Feb. 2, 2006, which is expressly incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to systems for tracking a motorizedvehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portabledevice for monitoring the vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art

Companies that require vehicles to run their businesses must carefullymanage the use and maintenance of the vehicles in order to get the mostout of their investment. For example, they want to avoid running thevehicles outside of the manufacturer's specifications and also ensureproper and timely servicing. Without diligent care, costly repair and/orreplacement costs can be incurred.

This can be particularly true when a fleet of vehicles is involved.Because the vehicles typically are not in the hands of the peoplemanaging the company's bottom line, it can difficult to make sure thisis achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The accompanying figures where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements and which together with thedetailed description below are incorporated in and form part of thespecification, serve to further illustrate an exemplary embodiment andto explain various principles and advantages in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating portions of an exemplary vehicletracking device in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a memory in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a simplified and representativeenvironment associated with vehicle tracking devices and a host computerin accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating portions of an exemplary hostcomputer in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary procedure formonitoring motorized vehicles in accordance with various exemplary andalternative exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary procedure for pacingmotorized vehicles in accordance with various exemplary and alternativeexemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary parallel procedures formonitoring vehicle status and communicating, in accordance with variousexemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In overview, the present disclosure concerns portable tracking devices,sometimes referred to as monitoring devices or telemetry devices, havingthe capability of sensing various conditions of a vehicle. Thesetracking devices may be installed in a motorized vehicle and may beelectrically connected to various conventional sensors, relays and/orthe like that can be provided in motorized vehicles. The vehicletracking devices may be incorporated into and communicate in accordancewith a system and/or method, which can provide an overall monitoring ofthe vehicle tracking devices.

The instant disclosure is provided to further explain in an enablingfashion the best modes of performing one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. The disclosure is further offered to enhance anunderstanding and appreciation for the inventive principles andadvantages thereof, rather than to limit in any manner the invention.The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including anyamendments made during the pendency of this application and allequivalents of those claims as issued.

It is further understood that the use of relational terms such as firstand second, and the like, if any, are used solely to distinguish onefrom another entity, item, or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities,items or actions. It is noted that some embodiments may include aplurality of processes or steps, which can be performed in any order,unless expressly and necessarily limited to a particular order; that is,processes or steps that are not so limited may be performed in anyorder.

Much of the inventive functionality and many of the inventive principleswhen implemented, are best supported with or in software and/orintegrated circuits (ICs), such as a digital signal processor andsoftware therefore or application specific ICs. It is expected that oneof ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and manydesign choices motivated by, for example, available time, currenttechnology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts andprinciples disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating suchsoftware instructions or ICs with minimal experimentation. Therefore, inthe interest of brevity and minimization of any risk of obscuring theprinciples and concepts according to the present invention, furtherdiscussion of such software and ICs, if any, will be limited to theessentials with respect to the principles and concepts used by theexemplary embodiments.

As further discussed herein below, various inventive principles andcombinations thereof are advantageously employed to manage the use andmaintenance of the vehicles. The vehicle tracking device, system and/ormethod can be used by any company that manages vehicles, including forexample the vehicle owners, the direct users and the vehicle lessors.Examples of direct users include golf course managers (which manage, forexample, golf carts, mowers, and maintenance trucks), city maintenancemanagers (which manage, for example, maintenance trucks, motorcycles,lawn mowers, snow removal vehicles, and the like), delivery services(which manage delivery vehicles) and similar operations with variousmotorized vehicles. Leasing companies can use the product to ensureproper care and maintenance of their assets by the lessees. Moreover, adesired geographic relation between motorized vehicles can be controlledin relation to a proceeding (for example, spacing of golf carts during agolf game, or spacing of lawn mowers during maintenance operations,spacing of snow removal vehicles during snow removal), alone or incombination with a layout of where the proceeding occurs.

Continuous tracking and recording of the vehicles use (for example,speed, location, and the like) and status (for example, oil pressure,engine run-hour meter, and/or similar) can be helpful. One or moreembodiments described herein include a vehicle tracking device, whichcan be mounted to the vehicle, and/or a host computer for data loggingand/or review of tracked data and optionally for control of themotorized vehicle.

Further in accordance with exemplary embodiments, there is provided avehicle tracking device designed to address the need for continuoustracking and recording of a vehicle's use (for example, speed, location,and/or the like) and/or status (oil pressure, engine run-hour meter,and/or similar). A vehicle tracking device, which can be provided asunitary module, can be mounted to and optionally removed from thevehicle. The vehicle tracking device can be connected via interfaces tovarious elements in the vehicle. The various elements can include one ormore of the following, which are provided by way of example:

-   Sensors (for example, oil pressure, hydraulic fluid, air pressure,    ignition switch, etc) conventionally provided in the automobile for    which monitoring is desired. Sensor interfaces can include voltage    sources, switches, and linear outputs.-   Circuits conventionally provided in the automobile, where the    circuits can be routed through relays in the vehicle tracking    device. This can allow the vehicle tracking device to switch the    circuits, such as an alarm lamp or ignition disable, ON or OFF.-   Power from the vehicle battery.-   Satellite navigation system antenna (for example, GPS antenna) for    locating the vehicle and determining its velocity and heading.-   Radio antenna for remote access to data stored by the vehicle    tracking device.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrating portions of anexemplary vehicle tracking device in accordance with various embodimentswill be discussed and described. The vehicle tracking device 101 mayinclude a satellite navigation system interface 117, together with atransceiver 107 and/or a computer port interface (represented by RS232interface 121). The transceiver 107 alternatively can be provided as atransmitter and/or a receiver. Alternative embodiments can include oneor more of the following: a sensor interface 109, a connection to apower supply 111, and/or relay switches 119. The vehicle tracking device101 as depicted generally includes a processor 105, and a memory 123,and may include other functionality not illustrated for the sake ofsimplicity. The vehicle tracking device may include a nonvolatile memory113 which can be coupled to the processor, and/or a battery backed realtime clock 115 which can be coupled to the processor.

The processor 105 may comprise one or more microprocessors and/or one ormore digital signal processors. The memory 123 may be coupled to theprocessor 105 and may comprise a read-only memory (ROM), a random-accessmemory (RAM), a programmable ROM (PROM), and/or an electrically erasableread-only memory (EEPROM). The memory 123 may include multiple memorylocations for storing, among other things, an operating system, data andvariables 125 for programs executed by the processor 105; computerprograms for causing the processor to operate in connection with variousfunctions such as location processing 127, status processing 129, eventcondition processing 131, recording processing 133, history transmission135, relay switch processing 137, low power mode functionality 139,and/or other processing (not illustrated); and storage (not illustrated)for other information used by the processor 105 such as configurations,lists, temporary variables and counters. The computer programs may bestored, for example, in ROM or PROM and may direct the processor 105 incontrolling the operation of the vehicle tracking device 105. Additionaldetails on the illustrated functional blocks of FIG. 1 are providedbelow.

Accordingly, one or more embodiments provides a portabletelemetry/tracking device suitable for use with a motorized vehicle, themotorized vehicle including sensors for sensing and indicating vehiclestatus, the device comprising: a location interface, for receiving alocation signal indicating a current location when operably connected toa GPS antenna; a sensor interface, for receiving sensor signals fromsensors in the vehicle indicating a sensed status of the vehicle, whenelectrically or electronically connected to the sensors; and a processorcooperatively operable with the location interface and the sensorinterface. The processor 105, for example, a microprocessor, cancommunicate with the illustrated functional blocks within the vehicletracking device 103 and can perform the programmed tasks.

The vehicle tracking device 101 conveniently can be configured toreceive power from a power supply 111, for example a vehicle battery ofthe motorized vehicle in which it is installed. The input range can varyfrom 10-60VDC to accommodate the wide range of voltages used forbatteries of different vehicles. One or more embodiments can accommodatevoltage which can be regulated separately in first and second sections:the first section can include functions that require continuous power,and the second section can include functions that can be turned OFFduring periods of inactivity to preserve battery life (also referred toas Sleep Mode). For example, the second section that is powered offduring Sleep Mode can include the transceiver 107, the sensor interface109, the satellite navigation system interface 117, the relay switches119, and/or the RS232 interface 121. Techniques for providing a SleepMode are known and can be utilized in connection with the vehicletracking device referring to the description provided herein.

The battery backed real time clock 115 can be provided as a circuit, forexample. The battery backed real time clock 115 can be used to maintaintime, even when the vehicle tracking device is powered OFF. The clockcan be read and written via commands. An alternative provides that theclock can have “GPS Sync” enabled, which can synchronize the vehicletracking device 101 to the time received in accordance with thesatellite navigation system interface 117. An offset (in hours) may berequired to set local time, because GPS time is based on UTC(coordinated universal time) (Greenwich, England).

The vehicle tracking device 101 can be provided with a transceiver 107,and more particularly one or more alternatives provides the vehicletracking device integrated with a radio transceiver. The transceiver 107can be, for example, a digital cellular radio, provided for connectionto a remote host computer such as through the Internet and/or cellularnetwork; and/or a short range radio, such as a line of sight licensefree spread spectrum radio or the like.

Accordingly to alternative embodiments, the spread spectrum radio can beconfigured to fixed channel or roaming mode, in accordance with knowntechniques. In a large installation where a single radio at the hostcomputer does not have enough range, repeater units can be used toincrease a service area. However, this means that different channels canbe used so that the frequency hop sequence generated by the hostcomputer does not overlap. The vehicle tracking device 101 can beconfigured to “roam” available channels until a link is established byutilization of such techniques. When a link is found, the vehicletracking device 101 can continue to communicate on that channel untilthe link is lost. When the link is lost, the vehicle tracking device 101can scroll through a list of available channels (also referred to as aroaming list), which may be stored locally, until a new link is found.In operation, the vehicle tracking device 101 can conveniently store asmany as 16 channels in its roaming list; alternative embodiments canprovide different number of channels in the roaming list. The roamingcapability can be set via commands in accordance with known techniques.Further alternatives can be provided, for example, a service area can beextended utilizing spread spectrum radios incorporating repeaterfunctions.

The vehicle tracking device 101 can include a computer port interface,for example a removable local connection, including a serial or paralleldata connection, such as the illustrated RS232 communications interface121 and/or a USB interface, which can be a low cost alternative forcommunicating with the vehicle tracking device. The illustrated RS232interface, for example, allows an interface cable (9 pin) to beconnected between the vehicle tracking device 101 and the host computer,and the processor 105 can communicate over the RS232 interface 121.Accordingly, one or more embodiments provide a computer port interface,more particularly a serial data port, and even more particularly a RS232port, for transmitting communications when operably connected to acomputer communication network; wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to facilitate transmitting, over the computer port interface,communications including the vehicle history.

The vehicle tracking device 101 can include a sensor interface 109, tointerface with one or more sensors. The sensors can be of various types.In one realization, the vehicle tracking device 101 interfaces eightsensors of possibly varying interface type: linear sensors, ON/OFFvoltage sensors, and/or contact closure sensors. Accordingly, thevehicle tracking device 101 can include the sensor interface 109 forreceiving input from the sensors. One or more alternative realizationsof the vehicle tracking device 101 provide sensors together with thesensor interface 109.

The vehicle tracking device 101 can utilize independent timers to trackvehicle functions. An appropriate number of independent timers inaccordance with one or more embodiments is five. These timers can usesensor states provided from the sensor interface 109 as inputs, and canhave an accumulator (for example, a 32 bit accumulator) to count time,such as seconds when an input function of the sensor state(s) evaluatesto true. The input function can include one of various states (binary,ternary, or multi-state) for the sensors. In one realization, the inputfunction is ternary, that is, it is one of three states for each of thesensors: Active, Inactive, or Don't Care. A combination of the statescan be evaluated to provide the input function. Accordingly, one or moreembodiments provide at least one timer, wherein the pre-defined eventcondition is timed in connection with the at least one timer, and thetime and associated event condition are recorded in the vehicle history.

The timer accumulators can be configured to reset to zero, for examplewhen their input function=false, or maintain the count for example untilthe function=true again. In one realization, a specific timer such asTimer 1 can be defaulted to be used as the “Run Hour Meter” which canaccumulate when Sensor 1 is active (All other sensor inputs=Don't Care).The specific timer such as Timer 1 can be saved to the non-volatilememory 113, for example provided in the battery backed real time clock115 or FLASH memory, so it can be preserved when power is disconnected.Configuration of the timer accumulators and current state of the sensorsassociated therewith can be read/written via commands.

The vehicle tracking device 101 can record events when specificconditions are detected as being met. An event condition representingthe event can be stored, for example in non-volatile memory, where theevent condition includes some or all of the following information, whichis provided by way of example: Event Type, Timer or Sensor # relevant tothe event type, Date and/or Time, Current State of all Sensors (ifdesired), Timer Configuration (if applicable), Timer Value (ifapplicable), GPS Position Data, Run-hr meter value (Timer 1 value),and/or Accumulated Distance.

An event can be prioritized, for example as either Priority 1 orPriority 2, which may indicate for example an urgency or the order ofhandling to be associated with event.

The event types can be indicated, for example, in a table storedseparately in memory. The following Table 1 lists various event typesthat can be utilized, and are provided by way of example to illustratethe range of event types.

TABLE 1 Event Description Sensor_Active Sensor transitioned to theactive state Sensor_Inactive Sensor transitioned to the inactive stateTimer_Active Timer truth table evaluates to true Timer_Inactive Timertruth table evaluates to false Power_Lost Main DC power has beendisconnected Power_Restored Main DC power has been appliedSleep_Mode_Active Device has transitioned to low power modeSleep_Mode_Inactive Device has transitioned from low power to full powermode GPS_Fix GPS Fix has been established No_GPS_Fix GPS Fix has beenlost RF_Link RF link with server has been established No_RF_Link RF linkwith server has been lost Timer_Expired Timer counter has reachedprogrammed threshold

The specific conditions that are met to cause a predefined eventcondition may include one or more of the following: a selected eventtype, a combination or series of selected event types, a sensor state, acombination of sensor states, a timer value, a particular GPS positiondata, a threshold or specified run hr-meter value, and/or a threshold orspecified accumulated distance, alone or in combination; alternativelyin combination with date and/or time.

One or more embodiments provide that when a new event occurs or when apredefined event condition occurs, a message can be transmitted inaccordance with the transceiver 107 to the host computer indicating thatthe new event occurred, and/or including the event conditioninformation. The transmission of the new event message can beenabled/disabled, for example by event priority. The message period (howoften it is transmitted) associated with the new event can be specifiedas well as a timeout value. Accordingly, one or more embodiments providethat the new event message can be repeatedly transmitted until the hostcomputer responds or until the timeout value is reached. Alternatively,the host computer can periodically retrieve stored information regardingthe events from the vehicle tracking device 101 in accordance with thetransceiver 107 and/or the computer port interface. Event configuration(for example priority, message period, event types, and/or specificconditions to cause events) and/or reading of event conditions can beperformed via commands.

The vehicle tracking device 101 can incorporate relay switches 119. Inone realization, for example, two relay switches 119 are provided in thevehicle tracking device 101 to allow the unit to turn ON or OFF thevehicle circuits to which they are connected. The relay switches 119 canbe programmed to activate automatically in response to an event whichwas previously specified, and/or can be controlled remotely, for exampleby commands which can be received by the vehicle tracking device 101from the host computer. The relay switches 119 can be manually connectedto desired circuits of the vehicle.

The vehicle tracking device 101 can receive new and/or updated satellitenavigation system data (for example, GPS data) periodically inaccordance with the satellite navigation system interface 117 (alsoreferred to herein as a location interface), for example once a secondwhile the satellite navigation system has established a satellite fix.The data can be received as records. The vehicle tracking device 101 candivide up the records into package types, which can conveniently beprovided as three different package types. In the following example, thepackage types which are utilized by the vehicle tracking device 101 canbe selected based on the communication bandwidth and memory available:minimum record, normal record, and extended record. The satellitenavigation system can be, for example, a GPS antenna. Accordingly, oneor more embodiments provides for a GPS antenna, operably connected tothe location interface.

A package type denominated as a “minimum record” can contain fix statusand coordinate data, and can be accommodated in a record having a lengthof eight bytes. A package type denominated as a “normal record” caninclude the information in the minimum record plus the Timer 1 (Run-hrmeter) accumulator value and the distance traveled accumulator. Thenormal record can be accommodated in a record having a length of 16bytes. A package type denominated as “extended record” can include theinformation in the normal record plus additional information provided bythe satellite navigation system, for example the time and/or date offix, a velocity, an altitude above sea level, and/or an estimatedposition error. The extended record can be accommodated in a recordhaving a length of 32 bytes.

The records can be made available from a conventional GPS, for example,in real time via a command in accordance with definitions provided bythe GPS manufacturer. Moreover, the records received in accordance withthe satellite navigation system interface 117 can be saved to memorysuch as the nonvolatile memory 113, as discussed for example below. Theperiod (how often the record is saved), package types, package lengths,and/or associated memory can be configured via a command. The memory,for example the nonvolatile memory 113, can be configured so that afterthe memory is full, old data is over-written, starting from the oldestrecord. In the example discussed herein, the different package typeshave different sizes and consequently require different amounts ofmemory. Therefore, selecting normal records rather than extended recordscan double the length of time a vehicle can be tracked.

The vehicle tracking device can be equipped with a nonvolatile memory113, such as a solid state storage memory device, for example anon-volatile FLASH memory chip (conventionally available in densitiesfrom 2-64 Mbit) or the like. An example usage of the nonvolatile memory113 is discussed below in more detail in connection with FIG. 2.

The processor 105 can provide location processing 127. For example, theprocessor can receive indications of the current location of the vehiclefrom the satellite navigation system interface 117. The indicationsreceived may also indicate velocity, heading, and/or other informationwhich can be provided by the satellite navigation system interface 117.Based on the indications, and in accordance with known techniques thecurrent location of the vehicle (in which the vehicle tracking device101 is installed) can be determined, and optionally other informationsuch as velocity and/or heading can be determined or provided by thesatellite navigation system interface 117. Accordingly, one or moreembodiments provide that the processor is further configured tofacilitate receiving, from the transceiver, a request for currentvehicle information; and responsive to the request for current vehicleinformation, transmitting the determined current location and the sensedstatus over the transceiver.

The processor 105 can provide status processing 129, whereby theprocessor 105 receives the sensed status, for example from the sensorinterface 109. The sensed status from the sensor interface 109 can befurther processed, if desired, in accordance with analog-to-digitalprocessing or similar.

The processor 105 can provide event condition processing 131. Eventcondition processing has been described in detail above.

The processor 105 can provide recording processing 133, whereby variousinformation can be recorded, for example in the nonvolatile memory 133or other local memory. Information that can be recorded includes, forexample, data received from the satellite navigation system interface117 (which can be transformed into desired record formats, such as thepackage types discussed above, prior to recording), event conditions,sensor states, and the like. The information that is recorded, andportions thereof, is sometimes referred to herein as a history.Selective portions of the information can be recorded, if desired.

The processor 105 can provide history transmission 135, for transmittingthe history (or portion(s) thereof), for example to a host computer forfurther processing. Accordingly, the history (or desired portionthereof) can be retrieved from the memory, for example the illustratednonvolatile memory 113; formatted for transmission, and transmitted inaccordance with the transceiver 107 and/or the computer port interface.The transmission of the history can be initiated by a request for thehistory (received over the transceiver 107 and/or the computer portinterface), or can be initiated automatically by the vehicle trackingdevice 101, for example periodically or in response to particular eventconditions. Accordingly, one or more embodiments can provide that theprocessor is further configured to facilitate receiving, from thetransceiver, a request for vehicle history, and responsive to therequest for vehicle history, transmitting at least a portion of thevehicle history over the transceiver. Further, accordingly, one or moreembodiments can provide a computer port interface, such as an RS232port, for transmitting communications when operably connected to acomputer communication network; wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to facilitate transmitting, over the computer port interface,communications to send the vehicle history.

Furthermore, one or more embodiments provides that the processor isconfigured to facilitate first receiving, from the location interface,indications of a current location; determining, responsive to thelocation signal, a determined current location of the vehicle (andoptionally, a velocity of the vehicle, and a heading of the vehicle);second receiving, from the sensor interface, a sensed status of thevehicle; first recording a pre-defined event condition, when thepre-defined event condition occurs responsive to the sensed status, in avehicle history; and second recording the determined current location(and optionally the velocity and the heading) in the vehicle history.According to one or more embodiments, the second recording occurs at apre-determined interval, for example a user-defined number of seconds,minutes, hours and/or days, and the pre-determined interval can bechanged manually or semi-manually. Moreover, according to one or morealternate embodiments, the processor is configured to indicate theoccurrence of a pre-defined event condition response to a combination ofthe sensed status and a pre-determined sensor state.

The processor 105 can provide relay switch processing 137, for examplewhen the vehicle tracking device 101 receives a communication inaccordance with the transceiver 107 or the computer port interfaceinstructing that a relay switch is to be switched. The processor 105 canprovide the appropriate indications to the relay switches interface 119in order to effectuate the switching instructed in the communication.Accordingly, one or more embodiments provide that the processor isfurther configured to facilitate receiving, in accordance with thetransceiver, a communication with an indication that the at least onerelay switch is to be switched; and responsive to the indication,switching the at least one relay switch.

The processor 105 can provide low power mode functionality 139. In thisembodiment, the processor 105 can instruct the power supply 111 toswitch to low power mode. Low power mode can be initiated, for example,when a period of time has lapsed without a communication from thetransceiver 107 and/or the computer port interface, and/or withoutreceiving a change in location from the satellite navigation systeminterface 117, and/or upon occurrence of a selected event condition,and/or in various other desired scenarios. Accordingly, one or moreembodiments provide that the processor is further configured tofacilitate transitioning the device to a low power mode after apre-determined period of inactivity of the transceiver.

The vehicle tracking device 101 conveniently can be provided in ahousing 103. The satellite navigation system interface 117, the sensorinterface 109, and/or the processor 105 can be located in the housing.Other functional components that may be included can be provided in thehousing 103. By providing the vehicle tracking device 101 in a housing103, the vehicle tracking device 101 conveniently can be removed fromthe vehicle, and can be re-installed in the same vehicle or a differentvehicle. Accordingly, one or more embodiments provide that the vehicletracking device includes a housing, and that the location interface, thesensor interface, and the processor are located in the housing, wherebythe device can be removed from the vehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrating a memory 201 inaccordance with various embodiments will be discussed and described. Thememory 201 can be used to store events and satellite navigation systemrecords and related information. An allocation of memory in the memorydevice can be defined, for example how much storage space is used forvarious events and/or records, such as priority 1 events, priority 2events, and satellite navigation system records. The memory device canbe partitioned, as for example illustrated in the memory map of FIG. 2illustrating a FLASH memory chip.

The memory can be divided into pages, with the page length depending onthe memory capacity:

-   2 Mbit, 4 Mbit, 8 Mbit: 264 bytes/page-   16 Mbit, 32 Mbit: 528 bytes/page-   64 Mbit: 1056 bytes/page

In the illustrated example, each of the three memory partitions can siton page boundaries. Consider an example where each event requires 33bytes of storage; therefore memory usage is optimal when the number ofevents is set to a multiple of the bytes/page divided by 33. Forexample, for a 2 Mbit device, the number of events should be a multipleof 264/33=8.

Satellite navigation system records also can be stored in pages.According to one or more embodiments, these records can have a variablelength, depending on the mode used. In addition, each 256 bytes ofconventional GPS records can be preceded by an 8 byte header, thusyielding the optimal 264 byte page. The GPS recording capacity of thememory in the memory device can be calculated by determining the numberof GPS record pages available, the number of records per page, and theprogrammed save interval.

In FIG. 2, the memory 201 is divided into priority 1 (P1) event storage203, priority 2 (P2) event storage 205, and GPS record storage 207.Consider the following example application:

-   Memory=2 Mbit (1024 pages @ 264 bytes/page)-   P1 Events=160 (uses [160*33]/264=20 pages)-   P2 Events=240 (uses [240*33]/264=30 pages)-   GPS Memory Mode=Normal (16 byte length)-   GPS Memory Save Interval=60 seconds

Based on this application, we calculate the records/page (excludesheader)=256/16=16 records/page. Thus,

Total available GPS record capacity=(1024−20−30 pages)*16records/page=15584 records  (1)

Next,

Total recording time of the GPS partition=15584 records*60 seconds=10days, 19 hours, 44 minutes  (2)

In this example, the default setting is 160 events for both priority 1and 2, and the GPS record type is normal with a 5 second save interval.

One or more embodiments can be used in one or more of multiple modes,and optionally can be selected depending on the user's preferences. Suchmodes can include, by way of example, real time monitoring, short termvehicle history recording, and/or long term vehicle history recording.An illustrative example is provided of these modes below.

Real Time Monitoring: by incorporating a wireless transceiver as part ofa wireless network (Local or Wide Area Cellular), a remote host computercan interrogate the vehicle tracking device in real time, for example,to determine its location, and/or to read the state of the sensors oralarm conditions, and/or to switch the relays. For example, a golfcourse manager may need to determine the current location of theircustomers' golf carts continuously to properly regulate the pace of thegame. When operating in this mode, storing a history in the memory 201can be optional.

Short Term Vehicle History Recording: the vehicle tracking device can beused with a low cost, short range radio transceiver such as whenperiodic (such as daily or weekly) vehicle checks are desired. Thevehicle tracking device can incorporate memory 201, such as anon-volatile memory, to record various vehicle parameters includingsatellite navigation system (such GPS) positions at user specifiedintervals and records of predefined event conditions. The short termvehicle history recording mode may be useful for a delivery company thatwants to automate their vehicle maintenance checks. As the vehiclereturns to the company lot after a work day, the vehicle tracking devicecan automatically link with an office PC to download the miles driven, a“snail's trail” of the vehicle's location throughout the day, and anyengine alarms that may have occurred. The host computer can be used forfurther processing, for example to determine if any servicing isrequired, and to issue a work order to initiate the servicing.

Long Term Vehicle History Recording: because the vehicle tracking devicecan have programmable record intervals, it is suitable for use in longterm recording applications as well. The vehicle tracking device can beused without a radio transceiver to reduce cost, for example when onlylong term (such as at least quarterly or annually) vehicle checks arerequired. The long term vehicle history recording mode may be useful fora leasing company that wants to know how the vehicle was used andmaintained while it was in the hands of the lessee over an extendedperiod of time. The vehicle tracking device can be removed from thevehicle upon return, and connected via a local data interface (such asan RS232 cable) to the host computer for data downloading and subsequentprocessing and/or review. If desired, the memory 201 of the vehicletracking device which stored the history can then be cleared and thevehicle tracking device can be re-installed, including on anothervehicle.

Accordingly, one or more embodiments provide a non-volatile memoryoperably communicating with the processor, the vehicle history beingstored in the non-volatile memory.

Referring now to FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a simplified andrepresentative environment associated with vehicle tracking devices 301,313 and a host computer 305 in accordance with various embodiments willbe discussed and described. The two vehicle tracking devices 301, 313which are illustrated are representative of any number of vehicletracking devices which can be utilized in a vehicle tracking system.Also, the one host computer 305 which is illustrated is representativeof any number of host computers which can be utilized, for example, in adistributed processing arrangement.

The vehicle tracking devices 301, 313 can include a processor 307, 315,a communication interface 309, 317, and a vehicle history memory 311,319, all as discussed herein in more detail. The host computer 305optionally can include a user interface, here represented by the display303.

The first vehicle tracking device 301 can establish a direct connectionfor communication with the host computer 305 in accordance with thecommunication interface 309, in this example a computer port interface.This can be convenient for establishing a local connection between thehost computer 305 and the vehicle tracking device 301.

The second vehicle tracking device 313 is illustrated to provide anexample of remote communication with the host computer 305 in accordancewith the communication interface 317, which in this example is atransceiver. The transceiver communicates over a communication network321, as described elsewhere herein. Accordingly, one or more embodimentsprovides for a transceiver, for at least one of receiving andtransmitting communications when operably connected to a communicationnetwork. Further, one or more embodiments provides for a transceiver,for at least one of receiving and transmitting communications whenoperably connected to a wireless communication network. The use of atransceiver on the vehicle tracking device 313 can be convenient forestablishing the remote connection between the host computer 305 and thevehicle tracking device 313. Although the illustrated vehicle trackingdevices 301, 313 utilize separate local and remote communicationcapability, one or more embodiments can provide that the vehicletracking device includes both local and remote communication capability.

The user interface 303 provided on the host computer 305 can be utilizedfor example, to display reports of vehicle histories, to provide one ormore alarms relating to vehicle status, and/or to interact with a userto initiate communications to the vehicle tracking device(s) 301, 313.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram illustrating portions of anexemplary host computer 401 in accordance with various embodiments willbe discussed and described. The host computer 401 may include, intercoupled as generally depicted, a controller 405, a transceiver 403, adisplay 413, and/or a user input device such as the illustrated keypad415. The controller 405 further comprises, inter coupled as noted, acommunication interface 411 for communication with an optional externaldevice 409 (such as a vehicle tracking device), a processor 407, amemory 417, and various other features that are not further relevanthere but which will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

The processor 407 may comprise one or more microprocessors and/or one ormore digital signal processors. The memory 417 may be coupled to theprocessor 407 and can comprise one or more of a read-only memory (ROM),a random-access memory (RAM), a programmable ROM (PROM), and/or anelectrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM). The memory 417 mayinclude multiple memory locations for storing, for example, an operatingsystem, data and variables 417 for managing general execution by theprocessor 407; computer programs for causing the processor 407 tooperate in connection with various functions such as vehiclelocation/status processing function 421, clear vehicle history function423, vehicle sensor/alarm and relay processing 425, game pace processing427, and/or other processing; a database for the vehicle history 429;and/or a database 431 for other miscellaneous information used by theprocessor 407. The computer programs can direct the processor 407 incontrolling the operation of the host computer 401.

According to one or more embodiments, the processor 407 may beprogrammed for the vehicle location/status processing function 421. Forexample, the processor 407 can receive communications over thetransceiver 403 and/or in accordance with the communication interface411, where the communications include indications of vehicle locationand/or status. The vehicle location and/or status can be stored, forexample, in the vehicle history database 429 and/or utilized for furtherprocessing, such as the pace processing, represented by the illustratedgame pace processing 427, and/or report preparation.

One or more embodiments provide that the processor 407 includes a clearvehicle history function 423. The host computer 401 can transmit acommunication to the vehicle tracking device instructing it to clear itsmemory. The communication can instruct the vehicle tracking device toclear all or part of its memory. This can be useful, for example, toclear the memory after receiving the vehicle history and/or beforereinstalling the vehicle tracking device in a motorized vehicle.

The processor 407 can provide vehicle sensor/alarm and relay processing425, where the host computer 401 can request and/or receive indicationsof vehicle sensors and/or alarms from a vehicle tracking device, and/orcan transmit indications of relay switches for a vehicle trackingdevice. The relay switch can be instructed to be switched in response tothe vehicle's location and/or sensor state. A relay can be associatedwith an alarm, so that the alarm can be notified. Accordingly, it may bedesirable for the vehicle sensor/alarm and relay processing 425 todetermine if the alarm should be notified. One or more alarms can beprovided. For example, the alarm can be notified where the vehiclehistory indicates maintenance is due, or velocity/location is outside ofa permitted range. Accordingly, one or more embodiments provide that therelay can be associated with an alarm, further comprising determining atleast one of the vehicles to which an alarm is to be notified responsiveto the vehicle history.

Further accordingly, one or more embodiments provide for firstcommunicating with a plurality of vehicle tracking devices, a respectivevehicle tracking device being associated with a respective vehicle, andreceiving a vehicle history of vehicle location and vehicle statusassociated with respective vehicles from the respective vehicle trackingdevices; after receiving a vehicle history from at least one of thevehicle tracking devices, the at least one vehicle tracking devicehaving a memory for storing the history, instructing the at least onevehicle tracking device to clear the history from the memory; and secondcommunicating wirelessly with vehicle tracking devices to obtainrespective current locations of the respective vehicles; to obtainrespective current states of a sensor or an alarm on the respectivevehicles; and to instruct a relay on the respective vehicles to beswitched responsive to at least one of the current location of therespective vehicles and the current state.

Also, according to alternative embodiments, the processing includes paceprocessing, represented here by the illustrated game pace processing427. A procedure for pacing motorized vehicles is discussed in moredetail below in connection with FIG. 6.

A user may invoke functions accessible through the user input device415. The user input device 415 may comprise one or more of various knowninput devices, such as a keypad, a computer mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a trackball, and/or a keyboard.

The display 413 may present information to the user by way of aconventional display, liquid crystal display (LCD) and/or other visualdisplay. The user may invoke functions, such as programming theprocessor 407 through the user input device 415, which can comprise oneor more of various known input devices, such as a keypad 415 asillustrated, a computer mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a trackball,and/or a keyboard.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 provide exemplary flow charts of possible embodimentsof processes on the host computer, where FIG. 5 illustrates overallprocess for monitoring of plural vehicles, and FIG. 6 illustrates anoptional process for pacing motorized vehicles. FIG. 7 provides anexemplary flow chart of a possible embodiment on a tracking device,which can be installed on a motorized vehicle, where the process is formonitoring the vehicle status and for communicating, such as with thehost computer.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow chart illustrating an exemplaryprocedure for monitoring motorized vehicles 501 in accordance withvarious exemplary and alternative exemplary embodiments will bediscussed and described. The procedure can advantageously be implementedon, for example, a processor of a host computer, described in connectionwith FIG. 4 or other apparatus appropriately arranged.

In overview, the process for monitoring motorized vehicles 501 caninclude receiving a monitor request 503. If 505 the monitor request isfor obtaining vehicle histories, the process can include communicatingwith the vehicle tracking device to obtain the vehicle history 507,processing the history 509, and optionally clearing the memory of thevehicle tracking device 511. The foregoing can be repeated foradditional vehicles 513, 515. Otherwise, the process 501 can provide forcommunicating 517 wirelessly with the vehicle tracking device toaccomplish the requested task. The foregoing is repeated for additionalmonitor requests. These are described in more detail below.

The illustrated procedure can be implemented for example as a subroutinethat receives monitor requests which specify obtaining vehicle historiesor alternatively specify obtaining current vehicle information, andinclude other desirable parameters. Other realizations are possible, andwill be appreciated by one of skill in the art. In the illustratedexample, the process 501 awaits 503 the next monitor request.

If 505 the monitor request is for obtaining vehicle histories, theprocess 501 can proceed to transmit 507 a communication to the vehicletracking device to obtain the vehicle history. The communication can betransmitted in accordance with a computer port interface (if the vehicletracking device is connected via the computer port interface) or atransceiver (if the vehicle tracking device includes a transceiver).

The process 501 then can wait to receive 509 the vehicle history fromthe vehicle tracking device. The process 501 can also process thehistory 509, as described in more detail above. Optionally, the process501 can instruct 511 the vehicle tracking device to clear the historyfrom the memory. If 513 there is another vehicle for which the historyis to be recorded, the process 501 can get 515 the next vehicle trackingdevice, and can loop to process the next vehicle tracking device.Otherwise, the process 501 can wait 503 for the next monitor request.

The process 501 also provides for communicating 517 wirelessly with thevehicle tracking device to accomplish the requested task. When themonitor request is not for obtaining the vehicle histories 505, theprocess can communicate wirelessly with the vehicle tracking device toobtain current information, to instruct the vehicle tracking device toswitch a relay, and/or to revise the configuration of the vehicletracking device. The current information that is obtained can be, forexample, current location, current states of sensors, current states ofalarms, current event conditions, and/or other information that isstored in the vehicle tracking device. The configuration of the vehicletracking device can be revised, for example, memory format, time, date,event configuration, and/or sensor setup. When done with thecommunicating, the process 501 can wait 503 for the next monitorrequest.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow chart illustrating an exemplaryprocedure 601 for pacing motorized vehicles in accordance with variousexemplary and alternative exemplary embodiments will be discussed anddescribed. The procedure 601 can advantageously be implemented on, forexample, a processor of a host computer, described in connection withFIG. 4 or other apparatus appropriately arranged.

Due to a proceeding (for example, a golf game, a maintenance operation,a snow removal operation), there may be a desired distribution ofmotorized vehicles. The distribution of the motorized vehicles can bemonitored by tracking the vehicle tracking devices installed thereon.The desired distribution may include a desired geographic relation toother motorized vehicles in relation to a proceeding (for example,spacing of golf carts during a golf game, or spacing of lawn mowersduring maintenance operations, spacing of snow removal vehicles duringsnow removal), alone or in combination with a layout of where theproceeding occurs. For example, in a golf game, golf carts associatedwith a particular party should not be overtaking golf carts associatedwith a different party. Further it may be desirable to space the golfcarts at a sufficient distance from lawn mowers which may be inoperation. Similarly, for a delivery operation, it may be desirable tospace the delivery vehicles sufficiently apart so as to provide uniformcoverage of different delivery zones. A motorized vehicle which is notin range of its desired distribution can have its pace regulated. Thepace can be regulated, for example, by limiting a speed, by notifying analarm, or similar, which can be communicated to the vehicle trackingdevice as described above.

Therefore, an exemplary procedure 601 for pacing motorized vehicles caninclude, in overview, obtaining 603 the vehicles' locations, determining605 vehicles' velocities and directions of travel, determining 607 thedesired location in relation to the proceeding, and communicating 609with selected vehicles to adjust the pace. These are described in somemore detail below, keeping in mind that extensive details have alreadybeen provided herein.

The process 610 can provide for obtaining 603 the vehicles' locations,for example, by communicating with the vehicle tracking devices that areof concern to obtain current locations, velocities and other relevantinformation. Alternatively, vehicles' histories can be obtained and therelevant current information can be extracted.

The process 610 can provide for determining 605 vehicle velocities anddirections of travel. Given a vehicle's current and previous locations,velocities and directions of travel can be calculated, for example inaccordance with known techniques. Alternatively, velocities anddirections of travel can be obtained from the vehicle tracking devices.

The process 610 can provide for determining 607 the desired location inrelation to the proceeding. For example, the proceeding may have adesired distribution of vehicles, optionally considering possible travelpaths in a given location, obstacles, and ranges for locations andpreferred separation between vehicles. The desired location, velocity,or similar associated with a particular vehicle can be compared to thereported or calculated location, velocity and direction of travel. Thedifference between the desired location and the actual location can becalculated. Where there is a sufficient difference between the desirelocation or the like, the vehicle can be instructed to make anadjustment (such as in a relay) to achieve the desired location, tonotify the user via an alarm, or the like.

The process 610 can provide for communicating 609 with selected vehiclesto adjust the pace. The communication can be, for example, a relayswitch and/or an alarm. Processing can then end 611, for example byreturning to the calling procedure. Accordingly, one or more embodimentsprovides that the locations of the respective vehicles can be determinedwith respect to a proceeding, or more particularly with respect to agame, and the relay to be switched indicates a desired pace of therespective vehicle in relation to the proceeding or more particularlythe game.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow chart illustrating exemplary procedures701, 715 for monitoring vehicle status and communicating, in accordancewith various exemplary embodiments will be discussed and described. Theprocedure can advantageously be implemented on, for example, a processorof a vehicle tracking device, described in connection with FIG. 1 orother apparatus appropriately arranged.

In the illustrated embodiment, there are provided a parallel procedurefor monitoring 701 the vehicle status, and for communicating 715, suchas with the host computer. Although the parallel implementation canreadily handle asynchronous events and asynchronous communications, theprocess can alternatively be implemented in a serial manner. The processfor monitoring 701 vehicle status will be discussed first, followed by adiscussion of the process for communicating 715.

The illustrated process for monitoring 701 vehicle status can includelooping to perform the following: receiving 703 indications of currentvehicle location 703, determining 705 the current location of thevehicle, receiving 707 the sensed status of the vehicle, recording anevent condition 709, 711 if a predefined event condition occurred,recording 713 the current location. These are discussed in more detailbelow.

The process can provide for receiving 703 indications of current vehiclelocation 703. The indications can be received as signals from thesatellite navigation system interface. For example, the indications canbe received as GPS records. A typical GPS record provides informationindicating latitude and longitude. Other information can also bereceived with the indications of current vehicle location, such ascurrent time, velocity, and direction of travel.

In addition, the process can provide for determining 705 the currentlocation of the vehicle. Given the indications of current vehiclelocation, the process can calculate the current location to a parameterthat is to be utilized, such as stored in the history and/or forwardedto the host computer. For example, the latitude and longitude can beconverted to an address on a particular map, and/or a street address,and/or similar.

Also, the process can provide for receiving 707 the sensed status of thevehicle, such as from the sensors. One or more embodiment can providefor any desired translation of sensed status from the received format toanother format, for example a format appropriate for storage.

The process also can include recording an event condition 709, 711 if apredefined event condition occurred. The process can check 709 whether apredefined event condition occurred, for example by checking for anevent type, a combination or series of selected event types, a sensorstate, a combination of sensor states, a timer value, a particular GPSposition data, a threshold or specified run hr-meter value, and/or athreshold or specified accumulated distance, alone or in combination;alternatively in combination with date and/or time, corresponding to anentry in the event configuration (discussed above). Accordingly, one ormore embodiments provides that the sensor interface further includes atleast one timer, and the sensor interface is configured to facilitateindicating occurrence of a pre-defined event condition responsive to acombination of the sensed status, the at least one timer, and apre-determined sensor state (for example, active, inactive, don't care).If the predefined event condition occurred, the event condition can berecorded 711 in the vehicle history, together with other desiredinformation such as, by way of example, the information comprising thepredefined event condition, the current date and/or time, the currentlocation, the current velocity, and/or the current heading. Afterrecording the event condition information, normal processing can resume.

Thereafter, the process can provide for recording 713 the currentlocation. For example, the determined current location can be stored inthe memory. Then, the process 701 can repeat. The process can include atimer so that the storage of the current location occurs at regularintervals. Accordingly, one or more embodiments provides for a timer,wherein the current location is recorded at pre-defined intervals of thetimer.

The process for communicating 715 can include waiting 717 for the nextcommunication, and depending on the type of request 719, 723, 727,transmitting 721 the vehicle history, transmitting 725 the currentinformation, or switching 729 a particular relay. Each of these isdescribed in more detail below.

The process can wait 717 to receive the next communication. For example,the communication can be received from the host computer. Thecommunication can include a request, for example, to cause the processto transmit the vehicle history, to transmit the current vehicleinformation, to switch a relay, and/or other requests, for example toerase memory (not illustrated).

If 719 the request is for a vehicle history, the process can transmit721 the vehicle history. If 723 the request is for current vehicleinformation, the process can transmit 725 the current information. If727 the request is to switch a relay, the process can switch 729 aparticular relay indicated in the request. The transmission (if any) canbe performed over the same medium that received the request causing thetransmission. The process 715 can be repeated, and can wait 717 for thenext communication.

Accordingly, one or more embodiments provide for receiving, inaccordance with the location interface, an indication of a currentlocation; receiving, in accordance with the sensor interface, thepre-defined event condition; recording the current location in a vehiclehistory; recording the pre-defined event condition in the vehiclehistory; receiving a request for vehicle information, and responsive tothe request for vehicle information, transmitting the current locationand the sensed status.

Instructions for implementing the foregoing can be provided on variouscomputer-readable mediums. Accordingly, one or more embodiments canprovide a computer-readable medium comprising instructions for executionby a computer, the instructions for implementing a computer-implementedmethod for monitoring a plurality of motorized vehicles, and/or acomputer-implemented method for real time monitoring of a motorizedvehicle. For example, all or part of the instructions can be provided inany appropriate electronic format, including, for example, provided overa communication line as electronic signals, provided on floppy disk,provided on CD ROM, provided on optical disk memory, or the like.

One or more embodiments of the present invention have been illustratedin simplified format. The illustrations are intended as examples, andwill be understood to include equivalents. For example, the server canbe omitted from the system. Further, it is not intended to limit thepresent invention to the particular number of vehicle tracking devicesor host computers illustrated, or the particular communication networksillustrated. One or more embodiments of the present invention mayoperate in connection with various other combinations of the same,and/or equivalents thereof.

The vehicle tracking system can utilize communication systems, where thecommunication systems of particular interest are those providing orfacilitating data or messaging services over cellular wide area networks(WANs), such as conventional two way systems and devices, variouscellular phone systems including analog and digital cellular, CDMA (codedivision multiple access) and variants thereof, GSM (Global System forMobile Communications), GPRS (General Packet Radio System), 2.5G and 3Gsystems such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service)systems, Internet Protocol (IP) Wireless Wide Area Networks like 802.16,802.20 or Flarion, integrated digital enhanced networks and variants orevolutions thereof.

Furthermore the communications of interest may be provided bytransceivers, receivers, and/or transmitters that have short rangewireless communications capability normally referred to as WLAN(wireless local area network) capabilities, such as IEEE 802.11,Bluetooth, or Hiper-Lan and the like preferably using CDMA, frequencyhopping, OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) or TDMA (TimeDivision Multiple Access) access technologies and one or more of variousnetworking protocols, such as TCP/IP (Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol), UDP/UP (Universal DatagramProtocol/Universal Protocol), IPX/SPX (Inter-Packet Exchange/SequentialPacket Exchange), Net BIOS (Network Basic Input Output System) or otherprotocol structures. Alternatively the communications of interest may beprovided by being connected to a LAN using protocols such as TCP/IP,UDP/UP, IPX/SPX, or Net BIOS via a hardwired interface such as a cableand/or a connector.

The term “satellite navigation system” is used herein to denote varioussystems that provide positioning information, and are sometimes referredto herein as a “GPS”. Such systems include, by way of example, GPS(global positioning system), DORIS (Doppler orbitography andradio-positioning integrated by satellite), EGNOS (Europeangeostationary navigation overlay system), and the like, and equivalents,variants, and augmentations, and other global, regional or nationalvariations thereof. Such satellite navigation systems provideinformation including position, which may be expressed for example aslatitude and longitude, and may provide additional information such asaltitude, accurate time, current velocity, current heading, and/or otherinformation. Typically, the information is provided via a receiver thatfunctions to receive the satellite navigation system information, to usethe received information to determine a current location of thereceiver, and to output an indication of the current location and(optionally) other information, as is understood in this field.

The term host computer is used herein to denote various devices such asa general purpose computer, a personal computer, a handheld and/orportable computer device, or the like, which can utilize wireline and/orwireless communication, for example, modems, cellular telephones, and/orradios to transmit and receive communications. The host computer cancommunicate with other computers, according to various embodiments.Furthermore the host computers of interest may have short range wirelesscommunications capability normally referred to as WLAN (wireless localarea network) capabilities, such as IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, or Hiper-Lanand the like using, for example, CDMA, frequency hopping, OFDM(orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) or TDMA (Time DivisionMultiple Access) access technologies and one or more of variousnetworking protocols, such as TCP/IP (Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol), UDP/UP (universal DatagramProtocol/Universal Protocol), IPX/SPX (Inter-Packet Exchange/SequentialPacket Exchange), Net BIOS (Network Basic Input Output System) or otherprotocol structures. According to one or more embodiments, the hostcomputers may be equipped with wireless communication and may beconnected to a LAN using protocols such as TCP/IP, UDP/UP, IPX/SPX, orNet BIOS, and/or may be connected via a hardwired interface such as acable and/or a connector utilizing RS232, USB or other standards.

This disclosure is intended to explain how to fashion and use variousembodiments in accordance with the invention rather than to limit thetrue, intended, and fair scope and spirit thereof. The invention isdefined solely by the appended claims, as they may be amended during thependency of this application for patent, and all equivalents thereof.The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variationsare possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment(s) waschosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principlesof the invention and its practical application, and to enable one ofordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations arewithin the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims,as may be amended during the pendency of this application for patent,and all equivalents thereof, when interpreted in accordance with thebreadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A computer-readable medium comprising instructionsfor execution by a computer, providing a computer-implemented method formonitoring a plurality of motorized vehicles, the instructions forimplementing the steps of: (A) first communicating with a plurality ofvehicle tracking devices, a respective vehicle tracking device beingassociated with a respective vehicle, and receiving a vehicle history ofvehicle location and vehicle status associated with respective vehiclesfrom the respective vehicle tracking devices; (B) after receiving avehicle history from at least one of the vehicle tracking devices, theat least one vehicle tracking device having a memory for storing thehistory, instructing the at least one vehicle tracking device to clearthe history from the memory; and (C) second communicating wirelesslywith vehicle tracking devices to obtain respective current locations ofthe respective vehicles; to obtain respective current states of a sensoror an alarm on the respective vehicles; and to instruct a relay on therespective vehicles to be switched responsive to at least one of thecurrent location of the respective vehicles and the current state. 12.The medium of claim 11, wherein the relay is associated with an alarm,further comprising determining at least one of the vehicles to which analarm is to be notified responsive to the vehicle history.
 13. Themedium of claim 11, wherein the locations of the respective vehicles aredetermined with respect to a game, and the relay to be switchedindicates a desired pace of the respective vehicle in relation to thegame. 14-20. (canceled)